Naruto: Spirit Of Iron
by Anzac-A1
Summary: Naruto and the others meet a new Leaf ninja during the Chunin Exams. What is the story behind him and the mysterious puppets called 'Gundam' that he uses? TentenXOC.
1. Chapter 1: The First Iron Spirit

**This fanfic is based on an idea that I've had floating around for a while now, but only just decided to put down on paper (figuratively speaking, of course!). The inspiration came primarily from the fanfic **_**Master of the Iron Puppet**_** written by Dragon Master Naruto 0093 (I highly recommend you read this fic if you like Naruto!), which uses the idea of Naruto using puppets that are constructed from metal and are heavily based on various mobile suits from different Mobile Suit Gundam series. Just so you know, the story begins during the Chunin Exam arc, and will extend into Naruto Shippuuden as well. So without further ado, enjoy the fanfic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto (the show, manga, or any of the games) or any of the mobile suits that appear in the story. Believe me, if I owned Naruto, there would be some proper romance going on (e.g. Naruto/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, and Naruto/Ino etc).**

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><p>Chapter 1: The First Iron Spirit.<p>

"_That idiot! What did Kabuto just say about not drawing attention? And yet he just HAS to shout out, and now everyone's annoyed at him." _Sakura thought, sighing in frustration. The Chunin Exam hadn't even started yet and already it looked like the Rookie Nine were in for a rough time, thanks to Naruto's impulsive behaviour and cocky attitude. As Sakura mentally fumed, Ino Yamanaka strode over to her, anger written all over her face.

"What the hell Sakura? What possessed you to tell Naruto to do that? Now everyone here hates us!" she yelled, jolting Sakura out of her internal musings.

"What do you mean, Ino? I didn't tell Naruto to do anything, the idiot id it by himself!" Sakura shouted back, as the two girls started a full blown shouting match, arguing about whose fault the whole thing was. Ignoring his teammate's yelling, Shikamaru Nara lazily walked over to Naruto, who still wore that same cocky grin that always adorned his face.

"Seriously Naruto, what was the point of that? Now we've already got trouble ahead of us and we haven't even started. This is such a drag." He complained. Naruto turned to face him, still grinning.

"Aw come on, Shikamaru, lighten up! Besides, I want these guys to know who they're messing with!" Naruto replied, his voice oozing confidence (or more likely, arrogance).

"Tch, you really don't understand how things work around here, do you?" someone asked. All of the Leaf Genin turned to face whoever the voice belonged to. Another Genin was leaning against the wall a short distance away, but what struck the other Genin as odd was his clothing. The Genin wore black combat pants which matched his black ninja sandals and black short-sleeved shirt, over which he wore a black ANBU flak jacket. Black ANBU greaves also covered his lower legs, while similar guards covered his forearms, with headband having a black cloth. His one visible (left) eye was blue, the other being covered by an eye scope device that also held a microphone as well. On each hip was a traditional katana, each possessing a square guard and black scabbard. He turned his head to look towards the nine ninja now staring at him, a faint smile on his face.

"What was that?" Naruto shouted. The Genin ignored Naruto's tone, standing up straight.

"I meant exactly what I said. You come in here with an attitude like that, and everyone else will want to kill you within five minutes. Listen to the guy with the glasses, he knows what I mean. It's better for you to stay anonymous, that way you can easily surprise people, because they'll inevitably underestimate you." He explained.

"See Naruto, at least someone here has some common sense." Sakura told her teammate, who gave a 'Hmph' before turning away. "So anyway, who are you? I haven't seen you before?" Sakura asked.

"Oh I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Shiro. Shiro Yamamoto." The ninja replied, offering his hand to Sakura.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sakura Haruno." Sakura replied. Thinking he just wanted to shake her hand, Sakura returned the gesture, but Shiro swiftly bent over and kissed her hand lightly, causing Sakura to blush.

"A beautiful name to match a beautiful girl. It's nice to meet you too, Sakura." Shiro replied, releasing Sakura's hand. Sakura clasped her hands in front of her chest, unable to speak as her blush intensified. The other Genin proceeded to introduce themselves to Shiro, occasionally asking questions such as who his sensei was, but Shiro managed to get away with only giving half-answers, not revealing his sensei's identity. Tenten was particularly interested, bombarding Shiro with questions about his swords, not surprising given her fascination with weapons. Shiro somehow managed to fully answer each and every question thrown his way, quite enjoying the conversation, which quickly turned into a full blown discussion on weapons other such tools. Suddenly out of the corner of his eye, Shiro spotted one of the Sound ninja sneaking up on Kabuto. As the Sound ninja began to throw a punch Shiro swiftly crossed the distance between them, drawing one of his swords. He caught the ninja's fist, simultaneously holding the katana's tip against the Sound ninja's throat.

"What the-?" the Sound ninja exclaimed, surprised at being stopped so easily.

"Sorry but if that's the best you can do, you won't last very long in here." Shiro told him, his expression and tone serious. The Sound ninja glared at him, before slowly backing away, returning to his team. Shiro watched him carefully, replacing his sword in its sheath before turning to Kabuto. "Hey, you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." Kabuto replied.

"No problem, just make sure to always watch your back. You never know when someone will try and sneak up on you." Shiro told him, before returning to his conversation with Tenten. Meanwhile Naruto and Sakura were still amazed at what had just transpired before their eyes.

"Did you see that, Naruto?" Sakura gasped.

"I know! I've never seen anybody move that fast before." Naruto replied, amazed at the level of skill Shiro had already displayed. After a few minutes, a tall man wearing a black appeared at the front of the room, causing all of the assembled ninja to face the front. The man introduced himself as Ibiki Morino, explaining that he would be the proctor for the first part of the exam and that they should take their seats. Wordlessly, the ninja moved about the room, sitting down as they found their seats. Before he sat down, one of the Chunin supervising asked Shiro to hand over his eye scope/microphone for the duration of the test, to prevent cheating, to which Shiro agreed, removing the device and handing it to the other ninja. Once seated, Shiro was pleasantly surprised to find Tenten seated to his immediate right. Both of them wished each other good luck, before they got ready to start the test.

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><p>"I hereby declare this part of the Chunin Selection Exam completed. There's nothing left...but to wish you all good luck." Ibiki announced. The remaining Genin stared at him with varied looks, ranging from the totally confused and bewildered to those like Shiro and Naruto, who were just happy to have passed the test. They had all been surprised when the tenth question turned out not to exist at all, and that they were meant to cheat to get the answers, as a way to demonstrate how well they were able to covertly gather information, even while under fierce scrutiny. Suddenly, something burst through one of the windows, causing glass to scatter onto the floor. The figure threw two kunai that were attached to some large banner into the ceiling, spreading banner out for all to see, blocking Ibiki's view in the process.<p>

"Is this...part of the test?" Naruto exclaimed, while the others stared at the new arrival.

"_Uhh, she always has to overdo it, doesn't she?" _Shiro thought, sighing loudly. Tenten turned to face him, confused by Shiro's odd reaction.

"Shiro? What's up, do you know her?" She asked. Shiro chuckled, before turning to face Tenten.

"Unfortunately. She's always been a show off." He replied, as the woman stood up and faced them.

"Heads up, boys and girls! This is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor...Anko Mitarashi!" she announced. "You ready for the second test? Good, then let's go! Follow me!" The Genin just stared at Anko, all of them speechless.

"You're early...again." Ibiki said, stepping out from behind the banner.

"Yeah, yeah. Trust me, less than half'll be left when I'm done with 'em." Anko replied, grinning sadistically. "All right, you maggots have had it easy so far but...things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me, dismissed."

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><p>The next morning, the remaining Genin were gathered outside the 44th Battle Training Ground, AKA The Forest of Death, where Anko outlined how the second phase of the exam would work. All of the teams would be given a scroll, either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll, and a number corresponding with one of the forty four gates into the forest. The squads would then have to make their way towards the tower in the centre, however they had to collect the scroll they didn't have by stealing it from another team. This meant fending off almost constant attacks whilst heading for the tower once they had collected both scrolls. Before the test began, they ninja were given a half hour to prepare themselves for the three day long ordeal. Tenten quickly found Shiro, after having discussed strategies with Lee and Neji.<p>

"Hey Shiro, how're you feeling?" she asked, already excited despite Anko's attempts at intimidation.

"Pretty good. And you?" Shiro replied.

"Same here, I'm fired up!" Tenten shouted. "So Shiro, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure, what?" Shiro replied.

"How exactly do you know our proctor?' Tenten asked. Shiro was about to answer, when he saw a flash of metal out of the corner of his eye. Reacting instinctively, he drew his swords, deflecting the shuriken away from himself and Tenten, before blocking Anko's kunai with his crossed swords. All of the other Genin turned to see what the fuss was about, and were shocked to see Shiro and Anko locked in a struggle.

"Not Bad Shiro, your reflexes are still pretty good." Anko said, grinning.

"Come on sensei, do you really have to attack me from out of nowhere all the time? Not that I mind the extra training or anything." Shiro replied, as they put away their respective weapons.

"S-Sensei?" Naruto exclaimed.

"So THAT'S who your sensei is?" Tenten gasped. Shiro nodded.

"Yeah, and trust me it's not easy having to train with Anko. She gives a whole new meaning to the term brutal." Shiro replied.

"Is she really that bad?" Sakura asked, still slightly sceptical.

"Well that depends. Does training non-stop from 5:00am to 9:00pm sound brutal enough?" Shiro asked. The others went wide-eyed, their jaws practically hitting the floor. Well...except for Lee.

"Now that is proper dedication! I admire you, my friend!" he exclaimed, before writing it down in his notebook.

"Do you seriously train that much?" Tenten asked.

"It's actually not as bad as it sounds, you get used to it after a few days. Besides, it's better than when she chases me around the forest." Shiro told her.

"Huh? What forest?" Naruto asked.

"Oh right, I forgot to mention that earlier. I live in the tower at the centre of this forest, along with Anko-sensei. I quite like it, it's quiet and really peaceful, as long as you ignore the possibility of running into various deadly animals, or Anko-sensei when she...needs to get laid." He explained, grimacing slightly.

"You're joking right?" Tenten asked.

"No, I'm serious. The last time it happened, she chased through the whole forest for three days straight. Then some poor ANBU came to deliver a message to her and got caught instead of me. The poor guy now has group therapy sessions 6:30pm-7:30pm every day ." Shiro sighed, not exactly enjoying the memories.

"Geez, I feel sorry for you." Naruto replied.

"Well on the plus side, running from her is great evasion training. It also helps to have that extra motivation. She hasn't caught me so far, and she's tried more times than I care to remember." Shiro said. "Anyway, I'll see you guys later. If you survive the forest that is."

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><p>Three days later, Shiro was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the Rookie Nine had managed to survive the Forest of Death and make it through to the next stage of the exams. He himself had of course encountered no difficulties, arriving at the tower in the centre of the forest just a few hours after the test began, which unfortunately meant he was forced to wait for over two days before the others who had collected both scrolls arrived at the destination. After they had been given a chance to rest and catch their breath, the remaining candidates were brought into a large room in the middle of the tower. The room held a large statue at the far end, with a big television screen above it. A walkway ran the entire perimeter of the room, about halfway between the floor and the high ceiling. In front of the statue stood the Third Hokage, along with the various squad leaders of those teams that had made in through the forest. Once the Genin were all assembled, Lord Hokage asked if any of them wanted to back out now, while they had the chance. Surprisingly, no one raised their hand, so Lord Hokage brought their next proctor forward, who then explained the rules for the third phase of the exam. There would be a series of one-on-one battles, with the winner of each fight advancing to the next stage of the exam. The names of the fighters for each battle would be selected at random and displayed on the screen. The fight would continue until one of the combatants gave up or was killed, but the proctor could stop the match at any time should he choose to do so. With the ground rules established, everyone present cleared the floor apart from the proctor, while the first two combatants were chosen.<p>

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><p>A few hours later, things were heating up. So far Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Kankuro, Gaara, Neji Hyuuga, Naruto Uzumaki and Dosu from the Sound Village had succeeded in their bouts, earning a place in the next round. Sakura and Ino's fight had ended in a draw, with both kunoichi collapsing after punching each other simultaneously. Now the only ones left were Shiro, Tenten, Temari and Kabuto, each of them eagerly awaiting their shot at the next round. After a few moments, the screen brought up the next two fighters. Tenten VS Shiro Yamamoto. Shiro smiled, before leaping down to the floor, as Tenten did the same. The two ninja approached each other, stopping about twenty paces apart, as the proctor came forward.<p>

"All right, I shouldn't have to explain the rules by now, you've heard them enough to remember. Are both of you ready?" he asked.

"I'm ready. But Shiro, don't you dare go easy on me." Tenten said, anticipation evident in her tone and expression.

"I wouldn't dream of it. I'm ready." Shiro replied.

"In that case...BEGIN!" The proctor shouted, leaping out of the way. Tenten wasted no time and quickly seized the initiative, hurling kunai towards Shiro. Shiro jumped backwards, drawing his twin katanas in the process. Using both blades, he deflected the oncoming projectiles with practised efficiency, before he was forced to leap away as more kunai came his way, but this time carrying paper bombs. Shiro pushed off from the wall he landed on, charging Tenten head on. Unflinching, Tenten hurled a mixture of shuriken and paper bomb kunai knives at her attacker. Shiro deflected the weapons, before landing and striking at Tenten, who just barely managed to block his swords with two kunai.

"Not bad, Tenten. You're pretty good." Shiro said.

"Thanks, you're not too bad yourself." Tenten admitted, before they disengaged, moving back to stand a short distance apart from each other. Shiro smirked, before sheathing both of his swords, causing Tenten to look at him in confusion.

"Well, it's been fun. But now it's time to get serious." Shiro announced. He bit his left thumb, smearing some of his blood on his right palm. "I! Inu! Tori! Saru! Hitsuji! Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" he shouted, slamming his hand onto the floor. A large cloud of smoke erupted, covering Shiro completely, as everyone watched in amazement.

"Summoning Jutsu? But he's just a Genin! How's that possible?" Temari exclaimed, as the smoke slowly began to clear. It revealed a large puppet now standing in front of Shiro. The puppet was about seven feet tall, with dark green armour covering its humanoid frame. On its back was a sheath with a large knife handle protruding from it, while on its right shoulder were two small tubes. In its right hand the puppet held an assault rifle, with a curved magazine on top of the rear of the weapon, with a drum mounted below the muzzle. An extra magazine was affixed to each hip. The head was a simple squared helmet shape, with a visor in place of the eyes (GM Spartan).

-Gundam Stats Card-

Gundam: Spartan

Height: 8 feet.

Weight: 250 kilograms.

Armour Thickness: 1 inch.

Armaments: Assault Rifle x 1, Wire-guided Missile x 2, Combat Knife x 1.

Extra Equipment: Smoke Dispenser x 2, Extra Magazine x 2.

-Gundam Stats Card-

"What...kind of puppet is that?" Kankuro gasped.

"This is no ordinary puppet! Say hello to the Spartan!" Shiro announced.

"Not bad, but it'll take more than that to scare me." Tenten replied.

"Okay then, let's see how you do." Shiro told her, putting a hand against his eye scope, before speaking into the microphone. " Spartan, attack!" At this, the Spartans visor flashed, before it sprang to life and charged Tenten, its metal feet booming with each heavy step. Tenten leapt back, hurling more paper bomb kunai towards it. The Spartan stopped, bringing its arms up to shield itself, as the kunai hit home, the explosions hiding it from view. As the smoke cleared, Tenten was stunned to see the Spartan was completely undamaged.

"What the...?" she gasped.

"Nice try, now it's my turn. Spartan, fire!" Shiro shouted. The Spartan raised its assault rifle, unleashing a burst in Tenten's direction. Tenten just barely managed to dodge, as the bullets sliced through the air where her body had been. As Tenten landed, she was shocked when she looked at what she saw. The wall behind where she'd been only moments earlier was now riddled with dozens of holes, each about an inch across.

"Holy...!" Tenten exclaimed. She quickly jumped up again, unrolling a scroll. A cloud of smoke erupted from the scroll, quickly followed by a hail of kunai, shuriken, and other assorted weapons. The Spartan fired its weapon again, letting loose a stream of its strange bullets. A loud series of clangs rang out, as Tenten's weapons were knocked out of the air by the Spartan's fire. After a few seconds the rain of weapons ceased, as Tenten landed again.

"Reload." Shiro ordered. The magazine on top of the Spartan's weapon ejected itself, as the puppet grabbed another box from its hip. The Spartan fixed the magazine in place and pulled the charging handle back, ready to fire again..

"Damn, that thing's tough. I was hoping to save this for the finals, but I guess there's no choice." Tenten muttered, pulling out two more scrolls. She placed them upright on the floor either side of her. "Tora! Tatsu! Saru! U! Mi! Ninja Art: Twin Rising Dragons!" The scrolls shot into the air in a cloud of smoke, twisting as they did so. Tenten then leaped up between the two scrolls, then proceeded to summon and throw weapon after weapon at the Spartan. The puppet raised its assault rifle, opening fire on the barrage of weapons. Due to the overwhelming number of weapons Tenten was throwing, some managed to get through, but they simply glanced off the Spartans armour.

"Spartan, fire missiles now!" Shiro ordered. At his command, two rockets shot out from the tubes on the puppet's right shoulder, wires strung between them and the puppet. The missiles exploded, knocking the scrolls and Tenten out of the air. As Tenten started to pick herself up, she found herself staring down the barrel of the Spartan's gun, with Shiro standing beside the puppet.

"Give up?" Shiro asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I give up." Tenten replied, before Shiro helped her to her feet.

"Winner, Shiro Yamamoto." The proctor announced, leaping down to the floor once again. Shiro put Tenten's arm over his shoulder, then jumped back up onto the walkway, as the Spartan vanished in a puff of smoke. At the same time, Temari and Kabuto took their places, ready to begin their fight. Shiro put Tenten down against the wall to let her rest, as Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi came over.

"Shiro, that was awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Thanks, glad you liked it." Shiro replied, grinning.

"That puppet of yours, what did you call it again?" Sakura asked.

"A Gundam." Shiro told her.

"Right, that. How many others are there? It can't be the only one, right?" Sakura asked.

"Well, they're a lot harder to make than ordinary puppets, so they tend to take about two years to create. Because of this, only eight currently exist." Shiro explained.

"Whoa, that long?" Naruto gasped.

"So, are they all as powerful as that one you just used?" Sasuke asked, with his characteristic arrogance.

"No way. In fact, the Spartan is easily the weakest out the eight. The others are all a lot more powerful, which is why I didn't use them. I need more space to be able to use them without collateral damage." Shiro replied.

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><p>A while later, the last match ended after about fifteen minutes, with Temari easily defeating Kabuto to claim the last spot in the finals. Once the battle had ended, the remaining ninja assembled in the floor, as Lord Hokage came forward to address them all. Ibiki and Anko stood on either side of him. However, before anything could be said, Kankuro and Dosu announced that they had decided to withdraw from the exam. Everyone was surprised by the decision, but no objections were raised as the two left the line.<p>

"First of all, allow me to congratulate you all for making it this far. You have fought hard to get through the challenges up to the point, and I'm sure you've each learned something along the way. And now I will explain how the final rounds will work." Lord Hokage announced. "In the final rounds, you will be demonstrating your battle skills and prowess in front of not only myself and the Kazekage, but also many important civilians and dignitaries; those people who may hire you for future missions. In light of this, the final battles will take place one month from today. This is to allow you to rest, recuperate and train to prepare yourselves for the finals, as well as to allow for the summons to be sent out and for those people to arrive." He explained.

"_That makes sense. It also gives me some time to finish that project of mine." _Shiro thought, as Lord Hokage continued with his announcement.

"Now then, before we continue there is one more important matter we need to take care of for the final rounds." Lord Hokage said.

"Let's get on with it! I mean come on, how much longer do wait before we can start training?" Naruto exclaimed.

"_Geez Naruto, could you be anymore disrespectful?" _ Shiro thought, sighing at his fellow Genin's outburst.

"Each one of you will now take one slip of paper from the box Anko is holding. These will determine who you will be facing in the final rounds." Lord Hokage said. The ten Genin waited as Anko moved down the line, each of them taking a paper as Anko reached them. Shiro unfolded his slip to see that his paper had the number seven written on it.

"Good, now everyone has one. Going from left to right tell me the number you have." Ibiki told them.

"Number one, of course." Naruto said.

"Three." Temari answered.

"Five." Shiro said.

"Six." Gaara said.

"Four." Shikamaru answered.

"Two." Neji said.

"Eight." Shino replied.

"Seven." Sasuke said.

"Ibiki, you may reveal which ninja have been paired up." Lord Hokage said.

"Right." Ibiki replied, showing the draw to the Genin. Shiro was slightly unnerved that he was up against Gaara in the third battle.

"_Hmm, this won't be an easy fight, but I think I know which of the Gundams will be able to not only withstand his attacks, but also break through his defences. We'll just have to wait and see what happens." _Shiro thought.

"_Shiro has to fight Gaara?" _Tenten thought, suddenly concerned for her new friend. _"Well, if his other Gundams are even more powerful than the one I fought, he should be okay." _

"Excuse me, Lord Hokage?" Shiro asked.

"Yes?" Lord Hokage said.

"Does this mean that only one of use is going to become a Chunin?" Shiro asked.

"Ah, I was hoping someone would ask that question. There will several judges observing the final rounds; myself, the Kazekage and the shinobi leaders. They will observe each battle, and decide if any of you possess the skills required of a Chunin. Even if you lose, you may still become a Chunin. Does that answer your question, Shiro?" Lord Hokage asked.

"Yes, thank you." Shiro replied.

"Now then with that out of the way, you are hereby dismissed. Good luck, and make the most of your time before the final rounds." Lord Hokage announced.

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><p><strong>What do you think? Good? Bad? Review and tell me what you think. Just so you know, the Gundams won't be the size they are in their series, they'll be around seven-eight feet tall. Well, I hope to have the next chapter finished soon! Anzac-A1 out!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Forged from Iron

**Hey everyone, thanks for waiting! Without further ado, I present the second instalment of Naruto: Spirit Of Iron!**

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><p>Chapter 2: Forged from Iron.<p>

The next day the sun shone brightly over the Village Hidden in the Leaves once again, as a certain brunette kunoichi made her way through the marketplace near the centre of the village. Tenten knew that there was no need to hurry, but despite herself she couldn't help but speed up her walking slightly. After the fights in the tower at the Forest of Death, Shiro had asked Tenten if she was interested in helping him train for the final rounds. The weapon user just barely managed to keep herself from squealing with excitement, as she quickly agreed to Shiro's request. Shiro had told her to meet him outside the Forest of Death's outer fence the next day, then he would guide her to the tower.

"_Ooh, maybe I'll get to see more of those Gundams of his! Well there's that and...he is pretty cute!" _Tenten thought as she continued on her way, blushing at her thoughts. She'd thought the same about other boys before, but there was something about Shiro that seemed...different. She was glad that her team wouldn't be getting any missions until after the Chunin Exams due to the fact that Neji would be fighting in the final rounds, as it meant she had plenty of time to try and sort out what her feelings towards Shiro really were. Eventually, after a fair amount of walking, Tenten reached the fence surrounding the Forest of Death. She was thrilled to see that Shiro was already there, but also disappointed that she'd made him wait for her. Shoving her negative thoughts to the back of her mind she hurried over, smiling broadly.

"Hey Tenten, it's good to see you again." Shiro said, smiling back.

"_Oh God, he's so cute!" _Tenten thought, her cheeks flushing lightly. "Hey Shiro, sorry I'm late" she replied, resisting the urge to jump on him.

"Don't worry about it, I've only been here a few minutes. Come on, let's go." Shiro told her. Tenten nodded, then both shinobi leapt over the fence and into the forest beyond.

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><p>An hour later, Shiro and Tenten finally arrived at the base of the tower. Tenten had expected it to take a lot longer to reach the tower, but she realised that it only took days during the exam because they were slowed down by having to search for the other scroll, on top of fending off the other teams and the various dangerous animals within the forest. Their progress had also been helped by the fact that Shiro already knew the route through the forest that was both the safest and the quickest to reach the centre.<p>

"You really know your way around this forest, huh?" Tenten commented, her face flushed from her exertions.

"I guess so. When you have to pass through this place on a daily basis, you learn the best routes pretty fast." Shiro replied, as the two ninja headed inside. As they climbed the staircase that wound up the centre of the tower, Tenten was surprised at how tall the tower was. It seemed even taller once you went inside and started climbing upwards.

"So Shiro, whereabouts do live here?" Tenten asked, curious to know how much more climbing was involved.

"Well, the very top's split into my room, my workshop, Anko's room, and the living room. It's pretty cosy and it's got a great view. The only problem is that Anko's room is right next door." Shiro explained.

"So that means...every time she catches someone..."Tenten said, knowing what this meant.

"Exactly. After a while I managed to develop a jutsu to get around the problem. It's a kind of Genjutsu that puts me to sleep for eight hours, then automatically wakes me up. And the best part is, nothing can wake me up while I'm under the jutsu." Shiro explained.

"Well that's clever." Tenten replied, even more impressed at Shiro's skill. He was just a Genin, and yet he could already use the Summoning Jutsu and create his own techniques from scratch. After a few more minutes of climbing, they finally reached the top. Shiro opened the door to the living room, only to stop just inside the room, sighing in frustration. Tenten poked her head in, to see what the problem was. She gaped when she saw Anko lying on the couch reading a book, wearing nothing but a pair of panties and a cocky grin.

"Hey Shiro, back already?" Anko asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Anko, if you know I'm coming back soon, could you at least wear a shirt." Shiro asked, trying to keep his eyes from wandering.

"This my house, you ungrateful brat. I'll dress or undress as I please. It sounds to me like you don't like what you see. You sayin' my body's ugly?" Anko growled, glaring at Shiro as if daring him to piss her off.

"No, no, of course not! It's just...come on, have some decency." Shiro asked, not wanting to incur his sensei's wrath.

"So then, this happens a lot?" Tenten asked, stepping into the room.

"Yeah, and I just can't get used to it."Shiro replied, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Ooh, I see you brought a girl back with you. Aren't you a bit young for..._that_?" Anko asked, grinning teasingly. Tenten blushed fiercely as she figured out what the woman was getting.

"W-What are you saying? Tenten's just here to help me train, that's all, nothing more!" Shiro exclaimed, his face flushed. _"But still, she is beautiful. Would I even have a chance with her?"_

"_What? There's no way, Shiro wouldn't...! But, would it really be so bad?" _she thought, looking over at Shiro, her blush intensifying as she imagined Shiro making love to her, making her scream his name over and over. Tenten shook her head to clear the images from her mind, but her cheeks were still flushed.

"Okay, I believe you. Geez, you're so easy to mess with." Anko said. Shiro quickly led Tenten out of the living room and into his room, closing the door behind them.

"Geez, I wish she'd grow up already." he sighed. Tenten meanwhile was having a look around Shiro's room. Across from the door was a large window divided into two sections, with one section able to slide open. Shiro's bed sat below the window, covered by a black duvet with a silver Leaf symbol in the centre. At the foot of the bed was a sliding door that led out onto a balcony, which seemed to go all the way around the tower. Next to the bed was a small bedside table, with an alarm clock resting on it. A bookcase occupied the rest of the wall, filled with various books and scrolls. A chest of drawers stood on the same wall as the door they had entered from, with two sword racks resting on top of it. Tenten walked over to the window, gazing out at the view beyond. She could see the very tops of the giant trees in the forest, which seemed to go on forever.

"Nice room. This view's amazing." she gasped.

"Yeah, my own little paradise. Come on, there's something I wanted to show you." Shiro replied, opening the sliding door. Tenten followed him out onto the balcony, then partway around the tower. Shiro stopped in front of what appeared to be a solid wall, with no door in sight.

"Um, Shiro? There's nothing there." Tenten said, confused at why he'd stopped here.

"Is there? As a shinobi, you should know by now that your eyes can easily deceive you." Shiro replied, forming a hand sign. "Release!" As he said this, the wall seemed to warp as a door appeared where before there had been nothing but solid wall.

"Of course, Genjutsu." Tenten said.

"Exactly. I have to make sure that someone can't break in here. If one of the Gundams fell into the wrong hands, I hate to think what could happen. So I decided to hide the door to my workshop with a special Genjutsu, which can only be released by someone who has been shown how to do it. Thanks to this, I can choose who can and can't enter." Shiro replied. Once they were both inside, Shiro reactivated the Genjutsu on the door, hiding it from outside view, while Tenten took in the room around her. The room was well lit, as it had no windows to let light in. Along each wall was a workbench, both littered with various blueprints and mechanical components. Against the far wall was a large object covered by a cloth which concealed it from view.

"So what did you want to show me?" Tenten asked. Shiro smiled, walking over to the far wall.

"This." he replied, pulling the two cloths off to reveal what lay underneath. Tenten's eyes widened at the sight. It was another Gundam, very similar to the Spartan. The armour on this one was mainly red, with the chest armour coloured white and orange. On the front of each shoulder armour was a hinged orange panel. The forehead was red, sporting a large yellow v-fin and two small gun barrels. On the Gundam's left arm was a formidable-looking weapon; it consisted of a small shield with two six-barreled gatling guns mounted underneath the shield's point. On the right forearm was a large hinged knife, similar in size to the knife carried by the Spartan. A box-shaped pod was also mounted on the outside of each lower leg (XXXG-01H2 Gundam Heavyarms Kai).

-Gundam Stats Card-

Gundam: Heavyarms Kai.

Height: 8.5 feet.

Weight: 500 kilograms.

Armour Thickness: 1 inch, 3 inches on chest and shoulders.

Armaments: Dual Chakra Gatling x 1 (mounted on left forearm), Chakra Missiles x 6 (housed in shoulders), Chakra Rockets x 40 (housed in launchers on both legs), Chakra Vulcan Guns x 2 (head-mounted), Chakra Gatling Cannon x 2 (inside chest), Combat Knife x 1 (mounted on right forearm), Chakra Beam Saber x 1 (concealed underneath Dual Chakra Gatling when not in use).

Extra Equipment: Chakra Thrusters x 4 (mounted on backpack, top and bottom).

Special Attack/s: Steel Rain: Zenkai (Steel Rain: Complete Destruction), Steel Rain: Zetsumei (Steel Rain: End of Life).

-Gundam Stats Card-

"Wow, so is this another Gundam?" Tenten asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Yeah, sure is. I just finished modifying this one a while ago. This is Heavyarms Kai." Shiro explained.

"Modifying?" Tenten asked.

"Well, this Gundam was made a long time ago, but I decided I should update it a bit. It's original arsenal wasn't as powerful as it should've been." Shiro explained.

"Hey Shiro, there's something I wanted to ask you about." Tenten said.

"Okay, what is it?" Shiro asked.

"How exactly do the Gundams work? Because puppets tend to be controlled by a puppet master using chakra threads to manipulate the puppet's limbs. And also, if they were made from regular metal my attacks should have done at least some damage, but the Spartan never got a scratch." Tenten replied.

"You certainly are a smart one, aren't you?" Shiro asked. "Well you are right on both accounts. You see, the idea behind the Gundams was first thought of by the founders of my clan, before the village even existed. They realised that as they were, puppets had many significant flaws that limited their effectiveness as weapons. They had to be remotely controlled, leaving the user wide open, and there was always a time lag in their attacks. The reason I can control the Gundams with just voice commands is also why they're so strong. The metal that the Gundams are made from is a special kind called spirit metal. It can only be obtained from the spirit realm by a special jutsu, which is only known to my clan. Spirit metal's biggest assets are that it gives the Gundams each a limited consciousness, allowing one to give them orders like a person. It also means that, if I wanted to, I could use the Yamanaka clan's Mind Transfer Jutsu and control the Gundams as if they were my own body."

"That's amazing. But what about the fact that I couldn't damage the Spartan?" Tenten asked,

"That's the best thing about spirit metal. It's far stronger than everyday metals like steel and iron, although it's not indestructible. But if an enemy somehow does manage to damage one of the Gundams, the spirit metal is able to regenerate and heal itself after a short period of time." Shiro explained.

"Okay, I get it so far. Just one more thing; if you're just giving the Gundams orders, how are they able to move? Where does their power come from?" Tenten asked.

"Well, I guess I can tell you, but you can't tell anyone else about this." Shiro replied. "The Gundams power comes from a device inside their chests, that is able to artificially generate chakra to allow the Gundams to move and to power their weapons. On top of that, it also means that the Gundams are able to use some Ninjutsu as well."

"I guess they really are the perfect weapons, aren't they?" Tenten remarked, amazed by what she'd just learnt. Now she was even more infatuated with the Gundams than before.

"I guess so." Shiro replied, smiling again. The two ninja sat down, proceeding to talk about various things. At first they started talking about the final rounds of the Chunin Exams, focusing mostly on Shiro's fight with Gaara. Shiro explained that he planned to use Heavyarms Kai to hopefully defeat the sand user. Heavyarms Kai's biggest asset was the fact that most of its weapons including its missiles and rockets were hidden, concealed by its armour. What Shiro planned to do was use the devastating firepower of the Dual Chakra Gatling to wear Gaara down at first, then get close and unleash the Chakra Gatling Cannons, Chakra Missiles and Chakra Rockets at close range, which would hopefully stun Gaara long enough to trap him and force him to give up. Even with this well thought out plan, Shiro knew it would be no easy feat; Lee's fight with Gaara had shown that the Sand ninja's attacks were devastating and swift, and his defense was nigh impentetrable. But despite this worry, Shiro felt confident in Heavyarms Kai's abilities and his own. After a while the conversation turned to talking about each other's lives, families etc. Shiro learned that Tenten's family, rather unsurprisingly, ran a weapons shop in the village that specialised in various ninja weapons. As a result Tenten was never short on weapons, a good thing as she always went through a lot with each mission.

"So Shiro, what about your family? You keep mentioning your clan, but you haven't really said anything about it." Tenten asked, hoping to learn a little more about Shiro's mysterious past, of which she knew precious little. At hearing her words, Shiro immediately became silent, his expression turning grim.

"Well, I guess it's only fair that you at least know something. The Yamamoto Clan has always been pretty secretive, to the point where few people other than the Hokage and clan leaders have even heard about us. We always lived a few miles from the village, mostly to keep others from trying to learn our secrets. My father was the head of the clan, making me the heir. For the most part, we've stayed out of any of the village's affairs, but the Hokage can always call on us if the need should arise. However despite our secrecy, we weren't completely protected. A couple of years ago, some unknown enemy attacked our home. The attack was so sudden that no one was able to retaliate before they were killed without mercy. I only survived because my parents managed to hide me before they were killed as well. All I could do was stay hidden and watch, as my parents were killed in front of me. Honestly, I don't know how the enemy didn't find me back then. I almost wish they had, then I wouldn't have had to carry those nightmares around for so long. If I'd been left there alone, I probably would've killed myself or worse. But as it happened, fate seemed to have had other ideas. It turned out the Hokage had sent a group of ANBU Black Ops to my home to deliver a message. When they arrived, they found me sitting next to my parents' bodies, still crying so much that I didn't notice their arrival. They brought me back to the village and informed the Hokage about what had happened. He decided to welcome me into the village and allowed me to become a ninja. After that well, you can probably figure out the rest." Shiro explained, his eyes betraying his inner grief.

"Oh Shiro...I'm sorry...I had no idea." Tenten whispered, wrapping her arms around him. She was shocked by what had been revealed to her. Sasuke may have lost his clan as well, but he hadn't had to watch his parents be killed. And it was clear that Shiro didn't even know who was responsible for his clan's destruction, which must've made the pain even greater.

"Don't apologise, there was no way you could've known. Besides, I've more or less accepted what happened. I know I can't change what happened two years ago, so the best I can do is to keep moving forward and not let it drag me down. But...thanks for listening. I don't know why, but I just feel a lot better when I talk to you, Tenten." Shiro replied, hugging her back.

"Same here." Tenten replied, looking up at him. She blushed when she realised how close their faces were, with barely a few inches separating them.

"_Go on, kiss him! What're you waiting for?" _her mind exclaimed. Driven blindly by her heightened emotions Tenten moved forward, closing the gap until she felt Shiro's lips against her own To her surprise Shiro didn't pull away, instead he kissed her back, pulling her closer to him. Getting caught up in the heat of the moment Tenten moaned blissfully, as she deepened the kiss.

"_Oh God, he's actually kissing me!" _she thought, feeling more happy then she'd ever felt in her life. Eventually however, the desire to keep going was beaten by the need to breath, forcing the two to separate, both of them struggling to regain their lost breath.

"Tenten..." Shiro gasped.

"Yes Shiro...?" Tenten whispered, her cheeks flushed from the kiss.

"Is this...what I think it is?"

"I don't know, I just...I'm sorry. I just get this warm feeling every time I see you."

"Me too." Shiro replied, his cheeks now flushed as well. 'So, what should we do now?"

"I'm still not sure what this feeling is yet. I don't really have any experience at this sort of thing." Tenten replied, her blush intensifying.

"How about one date? Then we can see where it leads us." Shiro proposed. Tenten nodded.

"Okay, sure. Sounds like a good idea." she replied. "I don't want you to get the impression that I'm an easy girl."

"Now why would I think that?" Shiro asked, causing Tenten to giggle before hugging him tighter, resting her head on his shoulder.

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><p>Darkness was just beginning to close in as Shiro arrived back at the tower, having escorted Tenten back to the village and to her house. Along the way, they had agreed that he would pick her up at around 7:00pm the next evening for their date. Despite everything he'd gone through during what many would describe as one hell of a bad life, Shiro couldn't help but feel pretty nervous about it. He'd never gotten this close to a girl this age before, and he had precious little knowledge on the subject. His own parents, Takahiro and Natsumi Yamamoto, hadn't been able to give Shiro much advice on the subject before their lives were brutally cut short. And even though he had Anko, he didn't want to approach his sensei for two very good reasons. One, he knew she'd tease him to no end about finally finding a girl, and two, she probably wasn't the best teacher in that regard, given her frankly terrifying bedroom escapades.<p>

_"Oh well, guess I'll just have to figure it out as I go. Tenten's probably no better at this than I am, so we can help each other out."_ he thought, entering his room through the sliding door. After placing his swords on their racks, Shiro went through his usual pre-bedtime routine; brush teeth, undress, put pyjamas on, pray for his clan, especially his parents, and climb into bed having turned off the light. However, just as Shiro was about to fall asleep, an unbelievably loud, very high pitched scream of sheer terror came from Anko's room, signalling that his sensei had caught her latest victim just before he'd arrived.

"Ugh, the poor guy will never be sane again. Oh well, better get this over with. Tori! Tatsu! Saru! Hitsuji! Ninja Art: 8-Hours Slumber!" Shiro exclaimed, casting his personally created Genjutsu. As soon as he finished the execution, he immediately fell asleep, oblivious to his sensei's antics.

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><p><strong>There's nothing left but for me to say; read, review, and stay tuned! Anzac-A1 out!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Forging Relations

**Hey guys, sorry for the wait. Anyway, here's the third instalment of **_**Naruto: Spirit Of Iron**_**, enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 3: Forging Relations.<p>

The next morning, Shiro made sure he was up bright and early for two reasons. One, he wanted to get out of the tower in case Anko hadn't been fully satisfied from her bedroom antics the previous night, and secondly he wanted to give Heavyarms Kai a full combat test to make sure that his modifications to the ageing Gundam were working properly. It would be pretty bad if when he faced Gaara he found that Heavyarms Kai didn't live up to his expectations. After a quick visit to his workshop to send Heavyarms Kai back to the spirit realm where the Gundams were stored until they were summoned, Shiro leaped off from the tower, landing in one of the forest's massive trees. After a quick check to make sure Anko wasn't trying to sneak up on him, the black-garbed ninja sped away, heading towards a section of the forest that he knew was perfect for testing out a bombardment-type Gundam like Heavyarms Kai. As he flew through the trees, Shiro's mind inadvertently turned to the other thing that was on his mind. He still hadn't figured out where he was going to take Tenten for their date that night. Shiro wanted to make a good first impression, but he was hampered by his lack of knowledge about women in general.

"_I doubt Tenten's expecting too much. After all, it's not like either of us has any real experience with this kind of thing before. I'm sure I'll think of something before I have to pick her up tonight." _Shiro thought, as he leaped from one massive branch to another.

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><p>At that same time, a certain kunoichi's mind was struggling to keep her mind from drifting back to the same dilemma. Tenten had decided to occupy her new-found free time with some extra training, while her Lee was recovering from his fight with Gaara and Neji was busy training for his bout with Naruto in the final rounds of the Chunin Exams. After her fight with Shiro, Tenten had realised that her fighting style had several major flaws that reduced its effectiveness in combat. Chief among these was the fact that single kunai and shuriken were relatively easy to deflect, even for a completely fresh-faced Genin. And even if her attacks got through, they lacked sufficient power to deliver lethal injuries unless they managed to hit a vulnerable area like the neck or eye. Tenten had decided to try and adapt a technique she'd witnessed during the battles in the tower at the centre of the Forest of Death. When the Sand ninja Kankuro fought, he used chakra threads to manipulate his Crow puppet in battle, and Tenten realised that she could do the same. By attaching chakra threads to her weapons as she threw them, Tenten was able to change their flight path very well, even to the point of reversing their direction in mid-air. Also, by utilising special kunai that could store other objects in the same fashion as her weapon scrolls, Tenten could throw just one weapon, then cause it to release dozens more at close range, giving an enemy almost no time to react. At least, those were her theories. Although her kunai idea was working well, Tenten was struggling with her idea of using chakra threads to manipulate her weapons in flight. Having never tried to use a technique requiring such precise chakra control meant that she was literally learning as she went, which hampered her progress. After a solid five hours of practise, Tenten had at least gotten to the point where she was able to guide her weapons, but not well enough to catch a fast-moving enemy. That would only come with extensive training on her part.<p>

"_Maybe I should get Shiro to help. His Gundams would make pretty good practice targets." _Tenten thought, as she continued with her training.

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><p>Meanwhile, Shiro was evaluating the performance of Heavyarms Kai, after having thoroughly tested and tried every aspect of the Gundam for the past few hours, and to say he was happy was an understatement. The Gundam's enhanced performance had far exceeded his expectations in all aspects. The large boosters on the Gundam's backpack gave it surprisingly good agility in the air, while its armour design aided ground-based movement. The Gundam's armour had been designed to offer the greatest possible protection while not hindering mobility, a design which suited Heavyarms Kai's intended fighting style perfectly. As a result, the Gundam proved that it would be able to evade any direct hits from Gaara's sand, while the glancing blows it would receive wouldn't do any serious damage. The Gatling Cannons concealed in the chest had demonstrated enough firepower to blast through even the hardest stone, proving that they should be able to break through Gaara's sand-based defences. Also, the Dual Chakra Gatling's rate of fire and not insignificant power would hopefully allow it to wear Gaara down, to pave the way for Heavyarms Kai's most devastating attack. The Gundam would get up close, then unveil and fire its Chakra Missiles, Chakra Rockets and Gatling Cannons all at once. This barrage would theoretically stun Gaara (a normal ninja would most likely be completely destroyed by the attack) long enough for Shiro and Heavyarms Kai to get into a position to force him to surrender.<p>

"_Still, I'd better keep on my toes with this guy. After all, I bet he hasn't shown us everything he can do yet. Hopefully Heavyarms Kai will be able to cope, but I'll just have to wait and see." _Shiro thought. After sending the Gundam back to the spirit realm, he headed back to the tower to get ready, but more importantly to satisfy his raging stomach, at least until 7:00pm.

Shiro was relieved to find that Anko had apparently stepped out while he'd been gone, and as yet hadn't returned home. He quickly grabbed a quick snack, before heading into his room. Once inside Shiro replaced his swords in their racks, before removing his flak jacket, arm guards and greaves, placing them in a compartment in the wall. After taking off the rest of his gear, Shiro searched his drawers for a suitable outfit. Since it was only a first date, he decided not to go too formal, but not too casual either. After all, he was trying to make a good impression. He selected a black suit set, which he'd originally purchased for the very reason that it was both casual and formal all at once. After he'd checked his clothes for any signs of dirt, Shiro departed using another technique he'd developed. It was similar to the technique most ninja used to teleport from place to place, but had enough range to take him outside the Forest of Death, whereas the normal technique had a range of only a few hundred metres. After arriving just outside the outer fence, Shiro quickly got moving, ensuring that he would get to Tenten's house in plenty of time for their date.

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><p>Unaware of Shiro's approach, Tenten was also busy getting ready. As nervous as she was, the young kunoichi felt surprisingly eager and full of anticipation as she tried to pick out an outfit. Tenten had an embarrassingly small assortment of clothing suitable for occasions such as this one, given that she spent most of her time training rather than on 'girly' pursuits.<p>

"_Darn, I wish I had more to choose from!" _Tenten thought, sifting through her clothes drawers frantically. Eventually she settled on a red dress with gold trim, which she'd last worn for a cousin's wedding a few months ago. Surprisingly enough, the dress still fit her perfectly, although it was a bit tighter, owing to her increased chest size, a result of puberty. The dress now hugged her body almost like a second skin, accentuating the subtle curves her usual attire hid from view. Her hair remained in its usual buns, giving her head the appearance of a teddy bear. When she was little, people would always be commenting on how cute Tenten was, and it was clear that she had lost none of that appeal over the years. Shortly after Tenten finished getting ready, there was a knock at the door. Looking down at the clock next to her bed, she saw the time was 7:01pm. With her heart racing from a mixture of excitement and panic, Tenten quickly hurried to the front door.

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><p>When Tenten answered the door, Shiro instantly felt like he was living in a dream world. The girl before him was easily the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. Shiro unconsciously let his eyes roam Tenten's form, blushing at how tightly the dress clung to her, accentuating her figure's subtle curves. The dress' vibrant scarlet hue perfectly contrasted Tenten's dark brown hair, which was still arranged in two small buns on top of her head. The small smile that graced her features completed the image, leaving Shiro speechless.<p>

"_Wow, I never realised she was this cute!" _he thought. Shiro tired to speak, but couldn't manage to form a coherent sentence, eliciting a giggle from Tenten, which resulted in Shiro's blush intensifying.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Tenten teased, revelling in the fact that she'd been able to leave the normally cool and calm Shiro unable to speak just by dressing up slightly. _"Maybe there is something between us."_ she thought.

"S-Sorry Tenten, i-it's just that...you're so beautiful." Shiro stuttered, having finally found his voice.

"Oh Shiro, you're just too sweet!" Tenten squealed, grabbing onto his arm, blushing from the compliment. Reaching back, she closed the door behind her and locked it, before turning back to her date.

"S-So, should we go now?" Shiro asked.

"Sure, I'm ready. Just so you know, my parents should be back by the time we're done, okay?" Tenten replied. She blushed more as she took in Shiro's appearance. Although she thought he looked good in his usual ninja clothes, Tenten swore he looked even better in a suit. _"It's nice to be able to see both of those beautiful eyes for a change." _she thought.

"Okay then, let's go." Shiro said. Tenten nodded, as the two set off, both wondering in their minds how it would go.

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><p>Tenten was admittedly shocked when they arrived at their destination. She'd been expecting a small café or something along those lines. Instead, Shiro had brought her to one of the best restaurants in the village, a place well known for its excellent cuisine and very good service. She hadn't thought that Shiro would have the money to afford dinner in a place like this, but she wasn't complaining.<p>

"Well Shiro, you certainly know how to treat a girl." Tenten commented, as they were shown to their table.

"I just wanted to make a good impression. I hope it's not too much, though." Shiro admitted.

"Of course not! I love it!" Tenten exclaimed. After they were seated, the waiter gave them each their menus, then politely excused himself.

"So Shiro, where exactly did you get the money for a place like this? It's pretty expensive." Tenten asked, hoping she wasn't being too intrusive.

"Well, mostly from my missions, though I don't usually have that many." Shiro replied.

"Okay, so what ranks have you done?" Tenten asked.

"Mostly B-Ranks, but I've had a couple of A-Ranks as well." Shiro explained, causing Tenten to gasp in astonishment.

"You've done A and B-Ranks? But you're still a Genin!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, but for one thing I have the Gundams with me. And two, the Hokage let me because he thinks I'm strong enough." Shiro replied. Tenten nodded, pretending to study her menu to hide her blushing face from view.

"_Wow, he really is strong! He must've been going easy on me." _she thought. A few minutes later, the waiter returned and took their orders. Tenten was very impressed at the service; the food arrived just ten minutes later, amazing considering how good it tasted and the fact that she always ate a lot during meals. Throughout the evening, the two quite enjoyed each other's company, talking about various things as they ate or waited for their food. As the night wore on, Tenten found herself falling more in love with Shiro. She knew now that she definitely had feelings for him now, having spent most of the night with him.

"_I guess I really do love him. I just hope he feels the same." _Tenten thought. After Shiro paid the bill, the two left the restaurant and headed back towards Tenten's house. All the while, Tenten kept hoping that Shiro would return her feelings in kind. After a few minutes, they arrived outside her house.

"Well, I guess this is my stop." Tenten said. "I had a great time."

"Me too." Shiro replied. As he turned to leave, Tenten grabbed his arm, turning him back to face her.

"Shiro, wait. Don't go yet." Tenten said. "Look, I wasn't sure what I felt yesterday, but I'm sure of it now. I love you, Shiro." she said, before wrapping her arms around Shiro's neck and pressing her lips to his. She felt Shiro stiffen in shock, but he quickly began kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. Tenten moaned softly, pressing herself against him. She nearly squealed with excitement when Shiro ran his tongue across her bottom lip, seeking entrance. Tenten quickly consented, allowing their tongues to meet. She moaned even louder, deepening the kiss as their tongues fought for dominance. Eventually they broke apart, Tenten resting her head against Shiro's shoulder, as they both tried to regain their breath.

"Wow...so does this mean...?" Tenten gasped, almost afraid to ask. Shiro nodded.

"Yes, I love you, Tenten." he replied. Tenten simply smiled, enjoying the feel of being held in his arms. After a few minutes, they reluctantly let go of each other. Shiro bid her goodnight, then headed back towards his home, while Tenten quietly sneaked into bed, her lips still tingling from the kiss, while in her mind she was rejoicing, so happy that Shiro loved her as she loved him.

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><p><strong>Please again, review and voice your comments. Next chapter; the final rounds of the Chunin Exams + Konoha Invasion arc.<strong>


	4. Gundam Special Attacks: Heavyarms Kai

**Here is a quick description of Heavyarms Kai's two special attacks.**

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><p>Gundam Special Attacks: Heavyarms Kai.<p>

Steel Rain: Zenkai (Steel Rain: Complete Destruction)

The first of Heavyarms Kai's special attacks, the Steel Rain: Zenkai is an attack designed for wiping out large structures like a fortress. The attack consists of Heavyarms Kai opening its missile pods on its legs and in its shoulders, then firing a massive wave of missiles. By summoning more missiles after all of the missiles in each pod have been fired, the attack is able to unleash one thousand missiles, capable of destroying even the strongest buildings. As yet, no known jutsu is able to stop this attack; however the use of this attack drains a lot of Heavyarms Kai's chakra reserves, preventing it from moving at all for a few seconds before its generator can replenish its chakra.

Steel Rain: Zetsumei (Steel Rain: End of Life)

Essentially the same as Heavyarms Kai's Steel Rain: Zenkai, the Steel Rain: Zetsumei has one key difference; its sheer destructive power. While Steel Rain: Zenkai uses (only) one thousand missiles, Steel Rain: Zetsumei is capable of unleashing in excess of one trillion missiles. This attack is comparable in scale to Konan's Paper Person of God Technique, which uses six hundred billion explosive tags. The attack's name is very apt (Zetsumei means end of life/annihilation), as the attack absolutely wipes out everything with a ten kilometer radius of Heavyarms Kai. As a result, this attack is capable of killing any one of the Tailed Beasts, especially if the missiles are focused on a single point. However, the enormous depletion of chakra caused by the attack's use (far greater than Steel Rain: Zenkai) forces Heavyarms Kai to fully shut down for twenty four hours while its chakra reserves are replenished.


	5. Chapter 4: Blood & Iron

**Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait, I wanted to make sure I got this chapter to a good length (5,599 words, excluding my notes at the start and end of the chapter) and that I got it done well. So then, read and enjoy!**

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><p>Chapter 4: Blood &amp; Iron.<p>

One month later, it was finally time for the final rounds of the Chunin Exams to begin. Representatives from all of the Five Great Nations, such as feudal lords and other important individuals had arrived in the Leaf Village to observe the battles, including the Kazekage of the Sand Village. As the spectators gathered in the arena stands, Shiro couldn't help but feel nervous. He was quietly confident that he was ready to take on Gaara from the Sand Village, but he'd never had to fight in front of so many important people before; people who would decide whether or not he was worthy of Chunin. Tenten had reassured him just before she left to take her seat, wishing him good luck and giving him a quick kiss.

"_No worries, I got this!" _Shiro thought. He was jolted from his thoughts as the proctor asked them to follow him into the main arena, to be presented to those assembled to observe the matches. As the eight Genin lined up in front of the crowd, Shiro managed to pick Tenten out from the multitude of figures. She was seated next to her sensei Might Guy, while her other teammate Rock Lee was absent, still in hospital as a result of his injuries. Shiro's anxiety faded as Tenten waved at him, cheering loud enough to be heard over the rest of the crowd. After a few minutes, they were told to move to a waiting area just below the stands, so that the first match between Naruto and Neji could begin.

"Naruto, good luck!" Shiro shouted, as he left the arena floor. Naruto flashed him his trademark grin, before turning to face the stoic Neji Hyuuga. The two foes faced off, as the proctor came forward.

As the fight progressed, Shiro was not surprised to hear Neji lecturing Naruto in much the same fashion as he had with Hinata during their battle in the preliminaries. Neji was adamant that failures will always remain failures, and Naruto would never be able to defeat him because of this fact. Naruto retorted, saying that people have the power to change who they are and their lives, no matter who they are. Shiro was also impressed by Naruto's performance. Despite Neji's mastery of the Hyuuga clan's unique brand of Taijutsu, Naruto somehow was able to hold his own for most of the fight. However, his progress was hampered by his inability to break through Neji's Rotation defence technique, while the Hyuuga was easily able to stop Naruto's Shadow Clones, no matter how many Naruto used. Eventually, Shiro was certain that the fight was over, when Neji hit Naruto with his Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms attack, shutting down all of Naruto's chakra points. But Naruto refused to give up despite all of this. Suddenly, Naruto's body was surrounded by swirling red chakra, which caught everyone, even Neji, by surprise. Naruto charged at his foe, his speed and strength now higher than Neji's own. The Hyuuga was barely able to avoid Naruto's attacks, while his own strikes seemed ineffective. Eventually, the two crashed to the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust. Once it cleared, Neji was revealed standing up, with Naruto lying face down in a small crater a short distance away. Everyone thought that Neji had won, when Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke, revealing he was actually a Shadow Clone. Then the real Naruto burst out of the ground, knocking Neji out with a powerful right hook to the jaw, winning the first match.

* * *

><p>The second match, Shikamaru Nara vs. Temari, was vastly different from the previous battle. As both ninja were keen strategists, neither would make a move without thinking hard, resulting in a slow match. Shikamaru attempted time and again to capture Temari in his Shadow Possession Jutsu, but the Sand kunoichi quickly worked out the limits of the technique, namely its very limited range. However, Shikamaru's genius quickly became apparent, as he utilised every conceivable trick to either extend his range or trap his opponent. By making a balloon from his shirt and a kunai for ballast, Shikamaru nearly managed to catch Temari, before she leaped out of range again. Although the crowd kept booing Shikamaru for taking so long, Shiro realised what he was up to. By dragging the match out, Shikamaru allowed the sun to sink in the sky, extending the shadow of the wall behind him, thereby extending his reach. Eventually, Temari found herself caught in Shikamaru's jutsu. He had used to the tunnel created during Naruto's battle to attack Temari from behind, taking her completely by surprise. Temari was forced to concede, allowing Shikamaru to take the victory for himself.<p>

"_I'll have to watch out for Shikamaru, it seems. He's a lot better than I thought." _Shiro though. After Shikamaru arrived back in the waiting area, Shiro and Gaara were called down for their match. Shiro heard Tenten cheering for him again as he entered the arena, but focused his attention on Gaara. The Sand shinobi's expression remained blank, but his eyes were fixed on Shiro with a killing intent.

"And now for the third match: Shiro Yamamoto versus Gaara of the Desert! Begin!" the proctor announced, before leaping away to safety. Gaara wasted no time, sending streams of his sand towards Shiro at amazing speeds. Shiro had already anticipated the attack, quickly leaping out the sand's path, before putting some distance between himself and Gaara.

"Running away will not save you." Gaara said, sending more sand towards the Leaf ninja.

"Who said I was running?" Shiro asked, biting his thumb, before smearing some of the blood that seeped out onto his palm. "I! Inu! Tori! Saru! Hitsuji! Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" he shouted, slamming his hand onto the ground. A cloud of smoke erupted, just as Gaara's sand reached Shiro.

"Too slow." Gaara said, thinking he'd won. However as the smoke cleared, it revealed Gundam Heavyarms Kai standing in front of Shiro, its arms crossed in front of its chest to guard from attack.

"Nice try, Gaara. Meet Gundam Heavyarms Kai!" Shiro announced, as Heavyarms Kai uncrossed its arms, its gaze fixed on Gaara. The crowd gasped in astonishment, amazed by the sight of the Gundam.

"Another of those special puppets of yours, I assume. Even so, it won't be enough to stop me." Gaara said, attacking again.

"That's where you're wrong, Gaara. Heavyarms Kai, attack!' Shiro shouted. The Gundam's eyes flashed, as it swiftly raised its left arm, firing its Dual Chakra Gatling at the incoming sand. A hail of small bolts of chakra erupted from the rotating barrels, exploding as they made contact with the sand. Slowly but surely, Heavyarms Kai's gunfire pushed Gaara's attack back, to the point where the Sand ninja was forced to leap away to avoid being hit. Heavyarms Kai pressed the attack, igniting the thrusters on its back before flying towards Gaara, firing on him all the way. Gaara brought up a wall of sand, which managed to block the chakra bolts, but Heavyarms hit the wall with a powerful roundhouse kick, which broke through the wall, sending Gaara flying into the wall behind him. Despite the impact, Gaara seemed unfazed by the attack, hurling more and more sand at the Gundam. As Shiro had hoped, Heavyarms Kai's thrusters and light armour meant it was able to easily dodge Gaara's attacks no matter where they came from. At the same time, Shiro was constantly on the move as well, as Gaara had decided to split his attacks between Heavyarms Kai and Shiro, in the hope of taking one of them out of the fight. Suddenly, Heavyarms Kai was hit from behind by a wall of sand, which wrapped itself around the Gundam, preventing it from moving.

"Heavyarms Kai!" Shiro shouted. He wasn't actually worried however. Part of his plan was to let Gaara think he had the Gundam where he wanted it, but Shiro wasn't entirely certain whether Heavyarms Kai was strong enough to survive what he knew was coming next.

"You time is up, Gundam. Sand Coffin!" Gaara exclaimed, clenching his fist. The sand encasing the Gundam exploded outwards while simultaneously crushing inwards as well. Heavyarms Kai was dropped to the ground, the sand covering most of its body.

"_Did...did it survive?" _Shiro wondered, tensing his body in preparation to run if his plan had failed.

"And now, to deal with-what?" Gaara exclaimed, as Heavyarms Kai slowly rose to its feet, sand pouring off its body, revealing no damage at all. "But how?"

"That was a good effort. Now it's our turn!" Shiro shouted, deliberately drawing Gaara's attention.

"What do you-?" Gaara asked, but he was cut off as he noticed Heavyarms Kai was now almost on top of him.

"All right Heavyarms Kai, let him have it!" Shiro shouted. At this command, the armour on the Gundam's chest and shoulders opened up, as well as the pods on its legs, revealing its hidden Chakra Gatling Cannons, missiles and rockets. Heavyarms Kai opened fire, raining down a barrage of rockets and missiles while its Gatling Cannons fired powerful chakra bolts over and over. The attack caused a massive explosion, hurling Gaara all the way across the arena and into the wall with such force that the stone cracked. Heavyarms Kai's armour closed back up again, as Gaara slowly rose to his feet. His Sand Armour was badly cracked, but still intact, astonishing given the amount of firepower Heavyarms Kai had just unleashed.

"Well well, I must admit I'm impressed. No normal ninja could have survived that attack, then again, you don't seem to be normal." Shiro commented. Gaara remained silent, then the sand scattered all over the arena slowly began to move towards him. Gradually, it started forming a sphere around Gaara, growing as more sand reached him. Heavyarms Kai responded by firing its Dual Chakra Gatling, but the bolts failed to damage to steadily growing sphere of sand.

"This is bad. Heavyarms Kai, go to Plan B, charge!" Shiro shouted. The Gundam responded immediately, dashing towards Gaara, who by now was almost entirely encased in his sand sphere. As it closed in, Heavyarms Kai discarded its Dual Chakra Gatling, revealing its hidden Chakra Beam Saber, which instantly ignited. Sharp spikes of sand sprouted from the sphere, trying to stop the Gundam in its tracks.

"Don't stop, if he finishes that sphere, it'll be too dense to break though! You have to strike right now!" Shiro shouted. Heavyarms Kai carried on, weaving around the deadly spikes while not altering its course at all. Finally the Gundam reached the sphere, stabbing the Chakra Beam Saber into the surface and through the sand, penetrating the interior. The spikes stopped immediately, collapsing onto the ground in small piles of sand. Heavyarms Kai withdrew the saber slowly, waiting for anything to happen.

"_**What...what is this?" **_Gaara asked, his voice muffled by the sand surrounding him. _**"It's...blood? IT'S MY BLOOD! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ he screamed, his voice now bordering on hysterical.

"_What the hell?" _Shiro wondered. Suddenly, through his eye scope, he noticed some faint movement through the hole Heavyarms Kai's saber had created. "Heavyarms Kai, get out of there!" he shouted. Before the Gundam could react, a large arm burst out of the sphere. It grabbed Heavyarms Kai by its chest, pushing it all the way across the arena, before slamming it into the wall near Shiro. The Gundam tried to move, but the massive arm wouldn't budge, and held Heavyarms Kai firmly in place. Shiro drew his swords, dashing over to his Gundam. Shiro focused his chakra into both blades, and then sliced at the arm. His katana's sliced cleanly though the arm, which quickly retreated back inside the sphere. The section that Shiro had cut off collapsed into sand, allowing Heavyarms Kai to move away from the wall. The Gundam walked over to where its discarded Dual Chakra Gatling lay after having been dropped earlier. Heavyarms Kai reattached its weapon, before walking back over to Shiro.

"_What in the hell was that...that thing?" _Shiro wondered. As he thought, he realised that the crowd had gone silent, surprising given their loud cheering only moments earlier. Looking up towards the stands, Shiro was stunned to see most of the audience unconscious, except for Kakashi, Guy, Sakura, Naruto and Shikamaru. Before Shiro could figure out what had happened, a Sand Jounin leaped down from the stands, heading straight for him. Shiro readied his swords to guard, but the Sand Jounin's attack was thwarted by the proctor.

"What the hell's going on here?" Shiro shouted.

"We just got word that a large group of Sand and Sound ninja have launched an attack on the outer perimeter!" the proctor replied, as he forced the Sand ninja back. "The other civilians are already being evacuated to the safe areas. I need you to go and make sure they stay safe. But stay hidden, they think it's just a drill and we don't need them panicking!"

"Got it!" Shiro replied. "Heavyarms Kai, follow me!" he shouted, leaping away. The Gundam responded, using its thrusters to match Shiro's jump. Shiro headed for the stands, which by now were host to a fierce battle between Kakashi, Guy, and a number of Sound ninja. Taking advantage of the confusion, Shiro jumped into the stands, grabbed Tenten's limp form, and jumped away from the fight quickly. With Tenten now out of harm's way, Shiro and Heavyarms Kai headed for the Hokage Great Stone Faces, where the village's invasion shelters were located. As they travelled, Shiro used his eye scope to get a better idea of what was going on, and it wasn't good. Most of the ninja stationed along the outer perimeter of the village had been wiped out by three large snake summons, which were slowly advancing into the village. At the same time, the remaining ninja were engaged in skirmishes throughout the village, but thankfully none of the enemy ninja had made it very far into the village. Looking back to the arena, Shiro noticed the other two Sand Genin racing away, carrying an unconscious Gaara. Sasuke was already in hot pursuit, but he was pretty far behind them.

"_This is a hell of a mess." _Shiro thought. _"How the hell did they manage to get this many ninja so close without anyone noticing?"_ After a few minutes, Shiro and Heavyarms Kai stopped on a small ledge overlooking the entrance to the shelters. Shiro was relieved to see that just the Academy students were left, most of the civilians already inside the shelters. Turning his attention away for a moment, Shiro quickly formed a few hand signs.

"Release." he said, then tapped Tenten on the forehead, releasing the Genjutsu. Tenten stirred slightly, then her eyes slowly fluttered open. She looked around, clearly still dazed and a little bit confused.

"S-Shiro? What...what happened?" Tenten asked, her voice tired, Shiro quickly filled her in on the situation, ignoring Tenten's gasps of astonishment and shock, explaining where exactly they were and why they were there.

"So we just have to watch these guys until they're inside, right?" Tenten asked.

"That's pretty much it. Once these guys are inside, I'll see what else I can do to help." Shiro replied, as the students started entering the shelters. Suddenly, Shiro spotted a group of Sound ninja about half a kilometre away, heading straight for the students. The students clearly hadn't seen them yet, as they were still calmly going inside.

"Dammit, come on Tenten." Shiro said.

* * *

><p>As the Sound ninja landed, Konohamaru and the other students were more afraid than they'd ever been before. Facing them were a dozen heavily armed shinobi, while their only protection was Iruka-sensei, who himself was feeling afraid. He'd never been up against odds like these, and having the students there only made things worse. However, just as the ninja were about to attack, Heavyarms Kai landed heavily in front of them, cracking the ground with the force of his landing. The Sound ninja backed up immediately at this new threat, as Shiro and Tenten landed as well.<p>

"Hey, thanks for the help!" Iruka shouted, relieved to have the backup. He'd heard about how good Shiro was and was grateful to have his help.

"Happy to help." Shiro replied. "Tenten, Heavyarms Kai, stay with the kids, I'll take care of these guys." he said, slowly drawing his swords. Tenten nodded, as Shiro moved to place himself between the Sound ninja and the others.

"Are you kidding? You really think you can take us on? Tch, dream on kid!" the lead Sound ninja boasted, as Shiro readied his swords. "Fine, it's your funeral!" he shouted, charging at Shiro, two kunai drawn. Shiro remained still, then suddenly he dashed forward, his blades flashing through the air. Before anyone could figure out what had happened, Shiro sliced off both of the Sound ninja's arms at the shoulders, causing him to scream in pain. Barely a moment later, Shiro's katana buried itself into the Sound ninja's forehead, putting an end to his pain-induced screaming. The dead ninja's armless body crumpled to the ground, blood gushing from its severed shoulders as Shiro faced the other Sound shinobi, crimson blood staining his swords and some of his clothes. Behind Shiro, Tenten was speechless, horrified at what she'd just witnessed. The Shiro she knew was funny, kind and sweet, the sort of boy any girl would easily fall in love with. This new side of his personality scared her...a lot.

"_Shiro...what are you?" _she wondered. Tenten wanted to take her eyes off the sight, but for some reason her fear kept her from looking away. The rest of the Sound ninja roared with anger, before attacking Shiro all at once. Shiro didn't even blink, before charging to meet them head on. He slashed his way through the group of ninja, attacking any that came within range. The lucky ones had their heads cut from their shoulders straight away, dying before their brains could even register the pain, and fell to the ground, blood pouring from their necks and severed heads. Those less fortunate suffered much like their former leader, losing at least one limb or two before Shiro stabbed them in the head or chest and left them to bleed to death. In just a few short moments, all twelve Sound ninja lay dead on the ground, their blood slowly pooling and soaking into the ground. Shiro wiped his swords clean on one of the Sound ninja's uniform, staining the grey fabric a dark red hue, before sheathing both blades again. Meanwhile, Tenten and the Academy students were still horrified by what they'd just witnessed. Tenten had never realised how bloody and horrific being a ninja could be, but Shiro's display had terrified her unlike anything else.

"_My God..." _she thought, as Shiro came back over. Tenten suddenly found herself scrambling backwards, trying to get away from Shiro, whose clothes were splattered copious amounts of blood by now.

"Tenten, it's me. You're safe now." Shiro told her, his voice calm and sincere. Tenten tried to reply, but couldn't find her voice, so instead she simply nodded, her eyes still wide with fear. Shiro realised why she was acting like this, backing off slightly.

"Don't worry, I understand. I'll be back later, bye for now." Shiro said. Then he leaped away, with Heavyarms Kai following him closely. Tenten watched as Shiro disappeared, clutching her hand to her chest, as she tried to calm herself down. Her heart was responding to her terrified state, beating so fast she thought it might break out of her chest.

* * *

><p>As Shiro left the entrance to the shelters behind, he scanned the village to see how the situation was developing. Thankfully, the Leaf ninja were starting to gain the upper hand in the battle, pushing the Sound and Sand ninja back slowly, while the snake summons at the outer edge of the village appeared to have been taken care off. Looking over to the arena, Shiro spotted some sort of purple barrier on top of the stands, but was unable to see inside. Wondering what this could mean, Shiro headed for the arena as fast as he could, with Heavyarms Kai close behind him.<p>

As Shiro and Heavyarms Kai landed, Shiro noticed three ANBU Black Ops standing just outside the barrier, obviously wondering what was going on inside. As Shiro approached them, Heavyarms Kai's thudding footsteps alerted the ANBU to his presence. The three elite ninja turned to face Shiro, their faces hidden behind their animal masks.

"You guys need some help?" Shiro asked.

"Yes, although I don't know if you'll be able to help us that much." one of the ANBU replied. "Right now, Lord Hokage is inside that barrier, fighting against Orochimaru of the Sannin. The problem is we can't get through this barrier. One of us tried earlier, but the barrier burns anyone who touches it." he explained.

"Hm, I've heard of this technique before. It's specifically designed to keep people both out and keep them in as well. But I think I might know a way in." Shiro replied.

"I see, how many of us can you get inside?" the ANBU asked.

"That's the problem, the jutsu I have in mind only affects the caster, and there's no time to show you how to use it." Shiro replied.

"Very well, but watch yourself in there." the ANBU said. Shiro nodded, as Heavyarms Kai poofed away, its job already done.

"Tori! Tatsu! Tora! I! Ne! Ninja Art: Spatial Cloak Jutsu!" Shiro shouted, forming the five hand signs with practised efficiency. At first it appeared as though nothing had happened, but if one looked closely, they could see that the air close to Shiro's body had taken on a warped appearance. Shiro walked up to the barrier, placing his hand on the wall. Nothing happened, as Shiro pushed forward, forcing his body through the outer barrier, then through the barrier on the inside. Once inside Shiro dispelled the jutsu, before taking in the scenery inside the barrier. The area was covered with large trees, obviously caused by some form of jutsu. Suddenly, Shiro caught sight of the Third Hokage a short distance away, engaged in battle with a foe that Shiro couldn't see from where he was. Drawing his swords, Shiro cautiously made his way over to the fight, checking all around him in case he was ambushed. As he came near, Shiro was stunned to see the Third Hokage in pitched battle with what appeared to be the First and Second Hokage, two ninja who had died years ago. A short distance from the fight, Shiro could see another person, this one with ghostly white skin, who Shiro gathered must be Orochimaru. As soon as Shiro entered, the Second Hokage spotted him and attacked him with a powerful Water Style jutsu, which Shiro narrowly managed to avoid. The attack drew the other's attention immediately, with the Third Hokage looking surprised at Shiro's presence.

"Shiro? What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I figured you could use some help. I can see I was right." Shiro calmly replied.

"Well, well, what have we here? Shiro Yamamoto, correct?" Orochimaru asked, smirking. Shiro turned to face the Sannin, both swords poised and ready. Despite the friendly tone, Shiro didn't trust Orochimaru one bit.

"You must be Orochimaru, I guess. No need to tell me anything, Anko's already told me all I need to know about you." Shiro replied.

"Ah yes, how is Anko these days?" Orochimaru asked.

"Cut the crap, we both know you only saw her as an experiment and nothing more." Shiro retorted, his voice betraying his anger.

"Perceptive, aren't you? But then, I would expect nothing less from a member of the Yamamoto clan. Pity you're the only one left." Orochimaru replied. "Well, I must admit it's been fun meeting you, but I'm afraid you're going to have to die now." As he said this, the First and Second Hokage attacked again, with the First going after Shiro.

"_It's a good thing I've heard of this jutsu before. If I remember correctly, Orochimaru would've had to put seals in them to allow him to command them. All I need to do is destroy the seals, and they'll disappear." _Shiro thought, as he narrowly dodged the First's attack. As Shiro went past the First Hokage, he stabbed one of his swords through the First's head, pinning the Hokage to one of the trees, before leaping back. The First struggled to free himself, but the position of the sword meant that he was unable to reach up behind him to grasp the blade and pull it out.

"Tori! Tora! I! Ne! U! Mi! Tatsu! Lightning Style: Thunder Strike Jutsu!" Shiro shouted, as he formed the hand signs. As he finished, Shiro thrust his right hand forward, sending a golden bolt of lightning through the air. The bolt struck the sword embedded in the First Hokage's head, conducting along the gleaming steel towards the hidden seal inside. The electricity reached the seal, disintegrating it in a fraction of a second. Once the seal was destroyed, the First's skin turned to dust, pouring away to reveal the dead body of a Sound ninja, Shiro's blade still stuck through his head. Shiro dashed over to retrieve his sword, which proved to be wise move, as the Second Hokage's water jutsu impacted the ground where Shiro had been just moments before. Shiro leaped backwards onto a tree and pushed off, simultaneously charging his swords with more of his Lightning chakra. The Second Hokage prepared to strike again as Shiro flew towards him. Just as he was about to launch another jutsu, Shiro sliced both of his blades through the Second Hokage's head, destroying his binding seal as well. The Hokage's body slowly disintegrated to reveal another dead Sound shinobi, as Shiro faced Orochimaru.

"Hm, looks like that jutsu wasn't enough after all. In that case, I'll get rid of you first!" Orochimaru shouted. Shiro just managed to block Orochimaru's Grass Long Sword from taking his head off, crossing his blades to catch the incoming sword between them. The Sannin smirked, before his blade sliced clean through both of Shiro's katanas with ease. As the severed blades fell to the ground, Orochimaru slashed again, this time aiming for Shiro's head. The Genin tried to avoid the strike, but the blade managed to slice through his eye scope, just barely missing his right eye. Picking up one of his ruined swords, Shiro slashed at the Sannin. Despite the katana missing three quarters of its blade, Shiro managed to cut off Orochimaru's right arm at the shoulder. Orochimaru yelled in pain, jumping away from Shiro. Shiro took advantage of the development, dropping his ruined katana and picking up the dropped Grass Long Sword. Orochimaru glared at him, clutching his bleeding stump where his arm used to be.

"You might have won this time, but the next time we meet...I will kill you." he hissed, before leaping out of sight, as the barrier around the area disappeared. Shiro fell to his knees, as the exhaustion from the battles finally caught up with him.

"Shiro. are you all right?" Lord Hokage asked.

"Yeah...just a little tired. I'll be fine." Shiro replied.

* * *

><p>"So Shiro, you feeling any better now?" Tenten asked. Shortly after the battle had ended, Shiro had been rushed to the hospital for chakra depletion. Not surprising, given what he'd gone through in the past few hours. Tenten had arrived a few minutes ago to check up on him, happy that Shro was okay.<p>

"Yeah, guess all I needed was some rest." Shiro replied. The two ninja turned as they heard the door to the room open. In walked Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura, while Sasuke appeared to be absent.

"Hey guys." Shiro greeted. He could tell that Naruto and Sakura had noticed the missing eyescope right away.

"Shiro, what happened to that eye scope you had?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, that. Yeah, it got sliced up while I was fighting Orochimaru. I'm justy lucky it didn't cut any further, or I'd be missing an eye right now." Shiro replied. He was surprised when Naruto clenched his fists upon hearing the Sannin's name, but decided not to mention it, lest he come off on the wrong foot.

"Oh Shiro, I almost forgot. Lord Hokage asked me to tell you that he wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. Are you able to see him now?" Kakashi asked.

"Actually, they said I could leave soon anyway, so I might as well go now." Shiro replied, getting up.

"So, meet me later then?" Tenten asked. Shiro nodded, then left with Kakashi and Naruto. Kakashi explained that the Hokage wanted to see Naruto as well, while Sakura had opted to check on Lee to see how he was doing.

* * *

><p>"Ah Kakashi, Naruto, Shiro, glad you could make it." Lord Hokage greeted, as the trio entered his office.<p>

"So, what did you want to see us about?" Naruto asked.

"Patience Naruto, I'll get to you soon." Lord Hokage said. "Shiro, I'll start with why I asked to see you first."

"Sure." Shiro replied, curious to hear the Hokage's explanation.

"First of all, I must commend you for your performance in the Chunin Exams, despite the fact that they were cut short. You certainly impressed myself and many of our esteemed guests with your skills. As a result, you are hereby promoted to Chunin." Lord Hokage announced, smiling broadly. Shiro grinned, before bowing slight.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." he replied.

"Oh no, I'm not finished yet. If it weren't for your help, my battle with Orochimaru might have taken a less pleasant course. Also, Iruka has told me of how you protected the Academy students as well. Defeating twelve Jounin-ranked shinobi is no small feat. Therefore, I would like to present you with this." Lord Hokage said, taking something out of a draw. He unwrapped it to reveal a plate for a Leaf headband, made out of solid gold, which gleamed in the light. "There is just one of these in each village. They are presented to shinobi who have performed a great service to their respective Kage."

"Lord Hokage...I'm honoured. Thank you." Shiro replied, as the Hokage handed the plate to him.

"Take this as well." Lord Hokage said, handing Shiro a scroll. "I sealed the Grass Long Sword inside this scroll. Since you were the one who drove Orochimaru off, you deserve to have it." Shiro thanked him, taking his place next to Naruto and Kakashi.

"Now then, I should explain why I've asked to see you, Naruto." Lord Hokage said.

"Finally!" Naruto exclaimed.

"My recent battle with Orochimaru has shown to me that I am old. Far older than a Hokage should be if they expect to lead and protect their people properly. In light of this, I have chosen a successor to take my place." Lord Hokage explained.

"Seriously?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. However, there is a problem. You see, the person I've chosen is Tsunade of the Sannin." Lord Hokage explained.

"But...didn't leave saying she didn't want anything to do with the village?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, but I can see no one better suited to the task. Thankfully, Jiraiya has offered to track Tsunade down and convince her to return to the Leaf village. You will go with him." Lord Hokage replied.

"Why should I go anywhere with that pervert?" Naruto asked.

"Because, if anyone can convince Tsunade, it's probably going to be you. And so you can train under Jiraiya a bit more. From what I saw at the Chunin Exams, his training has already helped you a lot."

"Fine, I'll go." Naruto replied.

* * *

><p><strong>And that concludes another chapter of <strong>_**Naruto: Spirit Of Iron**_**. Just so you know, Shiro's chakra affinities won't be revealed for a while. The reason is that it's a good twist that hopefully no one will figure out, but I'm sure you'll like it! Anzac-A1 out!**


	6. Chapter 5: A Rusted Past

**Hey, Anzac-A1 here! Sorry for the long wait, but it's finally done! The 5****th**** instalment in **_**Naruto: Spirit Of Iron**_**! Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5: A Rusted Past.<p>

A week later, the sun was once again shining brightly over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. However Shiro was unfortunately not able to enjoy the great weather. Upon returning home from his meeting with the Hokage the previous week, Shiro had done some digging to learn a little more about the Grass Long Sword, to better understand his new weapon. He had discovered that to utilise the sword's various abilities, such as its ability to extend its blade, one needed to first tune the sword to their chakra. This was done very simply by meditating while channelling a steady stream of chakra into the sword. The only difficult part was that the process took an entire day, and required very precise chakra control and concentration to accomplish. After learning of this, Shiro decided to get it over and done with as soon as possible. Thankfully Tenten was very understanding, although Shiro had a sneaking suspicion that she was just interested in seeing what the Grass Long Sword could really do.

"_Well, I can't really blame her. After all she does love weapons." _Shiro thought, as he continued to focus on the process. He'd started the process the day before, and was now nearly finished. By some divine miracle, Anko hadn't disturbed him in any way for the entire twenty four hours, almost a record for her. A few minutes later, Shiro felt the sword in front of him pulsing, indicating that the process was complete. As he opened his eyes, Shiro was surprised by what he saw. The sword's shape was still the same, but its appearance had changed dramatically. The blade was now such a bright silver that it appeared to glow, almost as if with an aura. The guard was now black, as was the sword's hilt, while the jewel that was set in the guard was now a brilliant gold. Evidently the change in colour of the blade and jewel were a result of Shiro's main chakra affinities; Wind and Lightning. Shiro tentatively picked up the sword, marvelling in the gleaming blade. Upon closer inspection, he was surprised to find no evidence of any imperfections in the metal, while the double edges were sharper than on any blade he'd ever seen. Shiro gasped quietly as felt the blade gently throbbing, pulsing from the chakra now flowing through it. He continued to study the sword for a few moments, before sliding it into the new sheath he wore across his back.

"_Well, I guess I'd better get going. Tenten's probably getting tired of waiting."_ Shiro thought, as he leapt away from the tower. Tenten's squad had just received a mission, and Shiro had promised to catch Tenten before she left. It would be a new experience for them both, as it would be the first time that they had been apart for a great length of time since they had started going out. Although Tenten had assured him that she would be okay, Shiro was still slightly apprehensive. _"Well, it's going to happen a lot, so I guess this is a good test for us."_

* * *

><p>"Tenten, just remember that we have to leave soon if we want to get there by tomorrow!" Guy shouted.<p>

"I know, I know!" Tenten shouted back. "_Jeez, where is he?"_ she thought. Tenten had arrived at the village main gate shortly after the rest of her squad, who had thankfully agreed to wait a few minutes before departing, even though she hadn't explained the reason why. Even so, Tenten felt bad about holding up her team simply so she could say goodbye to Shiro. Suddenly the ninja in question poofed into existence right in front of her, causing Tenten to fall on her butt in surprise. She glared as Shiro chuckled at her reaction, before helping her to her feet.

"Having fun down there?" Shiro asked, earning him a punch in the arm from a flushed Tenten.

"Idiot! Warn me next time you're about to do that!" she exclaimed. Shiro just smiled at her, causing her anger to fade away quickly. No matter what, Tenten found she just couldn't stay angry at Shiro when he used THAT smile.

"So, am I too late?" Shiro asked.

"No, at least not yet anyway." Tenten replied. Shiro grinned, before swiftly closing in and capturing her mouth with his own. Tenten moaned lightly, closing her eyes as she kissed back. The feel of Shiro's soft lips against her own was a feeling that Tenten knew she would never grow tired of. The two eventually separated after what seemed like an eternity, Tenten resting her head on Shiro's shoulder.

"Better now?" Shiro asked.

"I don't wanna go now." Tenten whined, holding onto Shiro tightly.

"Come one, don't be like that. You've got a mission, remember?" Shiro replied, gently prying the girl off himself.

"I know, I know." Tenten said, her reluctance easily recognisable in her voice. Shiro kissed her quickly on the forehead.

"Stay safe." Shiro said. Tenten nodded, then hurried over to rejoin her team. Shiro watched silently as Tenten's team walked through the gates. He continued to watch until they disappeared from view, before heading off.

* * *

><p>As Shiro made his way through the village, his mind turned to other matters. Naruto and Jiraiya of the Sannin had already left the day before on their mission to locate Tsunade and somehow convince her to return to the village. Shiro understood why Jiraiya was going; the fact that he knew Tsunade very well made him an obvious choice, but Shiro was still puzzled by why Naruto had been sent along as well.<p>

"_The Third Hokage mentioned something about Naruto training with Jiraiya before the finals. That would explain how Naruto managed to improve so quickly, but why would one of the Sannin offer to train him? There must be something here I don't know about." _Shiro thought. He'd always been one to analyse just about everything he heard, so it was natural for him to be a little suspicious when it was obvious that someone knew something important that he didn't. Shiro was forced to put his thoughts aside, as a more pressing matter came to mind. _"Now what was I going to do after seeing Tenten off? Wait, I remember now! Iruka asked me to help out with one of his classes later today. Well, it's only an hour away, so I might as well head over now."_

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><p>As Shiro arrived, he covered his mouth to hold back a laugh at the sight that greeted him. The majority of the class were sitting down next to the small training area the Academy used for teaching the basics of throwing weapons, while Iruka had taken three students aside and was yelling at them sternly, although the three boys seemed not to be paying attention.<p>

"_Oh boy, it looks like Iruka's on another one of his tirades again." _Shiro thought. He leapt down from the tree he was in drawing the attention of the students that were seated, while Iruka and the three boys didn't appear to have noticed him.

"I don't care if those were training kunai! You do not throw them at other students unless a teacher is with you!" Iruka shouted, as Shiro made his way over unnoticed.

"Hey Iruka." Shiro greeted, the three boys and Iruka turning to face him upon hearing his voice. Shiro immediately recognised the three boys; they were frequently in trouble, but they never seemed to learn from it. "What, these three again?"

"So who are you supposed to be?" one of the boys demanded.

"Shiro, and I happen to be a Chunin." Shiro replied. "And you three are...?"

"None of your business!" yelled one boy.

"Really? Well then I guess I'll make it my business." Shiro said, discretely focusing some of his Lightning chakra into his right hand. Reaching out, he tapped each of the boys on the head once. At his touch, each f the boys crumpled to the ground, twitching slightly.

"What the heck?" they cried out simultaneously.

"That was just a little basic chakra control. You won't be able to move for the rest of the lesson, so now you'll have some time to think about what you did." Shiro replied, smirking as the boys fumed silently.

"Thanks for that, Shiro. I swear, one of these days I'm going to have a heart attack." Iruka sighed, already feeling tired.

"Don't sweat it, I've wanted to try that for a while, but it's hard to get willing volunteers. So, how can I help you today?" Shiro asked, as the two headed over to the rest of the students.

"You'll find out soon enough, I was about to explain to the students anyway." Iruka replied. "All right everyone, pay attention! Today we'll be practising basic hand-to-hand combat. Although ninja have a vast number of jutsu at their disposal, quite often hand-to-hand fighting can determine the outcome of a fight. There are even some shinobi who fight exclusively hand-to-hand." Iruka explained. One of the students then raised her hand. "Yes?" Iruka asked.

"Iruka-sensei, who is that?" she asked politely, pointing at Shiro.

"This is Shiro Yamamoto. He's a Chunin and he'll be helping us out today." Iruka replied, before turning to Shiro. "Go easy on 'em, alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll try not to hurt 'em too badly." Shiro replied.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later, Iruka decided to call an end to the lesson. Shiro then proceeded to give his assessment of the students' performances. Overall, most of the students had a good understanding of the basic principles, and just needed a little more practise, while a few were already showing great promise. In particular, he was very impressed by a girl named Hanabi Hyuuga, whom he recognised as Hinata's little sister. Unsurprisingly for a Hyuuga, the young girl was already quite proficient at hand-to-hand combat, her technique and speed more than compensating for her lack of strength. Iruka thanked for his help, after which the students gave Shiro their thanks as well. Shiro replied saying it was the least he could do to help them, and that he was more than happy to help with their training if they ever needed it in the future, before leaving to let the students continue with their lessons.<p>

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><p>"So Lord Hokage, what was it you wanted to see me about?" Shiro asked. He had been in the middle of his personal training when an ANBU had arrived, saying that the Third Hokage wished to see him. Shiro was surprised that the Hokage would call for him personally like this, but at the same time it made him curious as to what the matter could be.<p>

"What I have to tell you is grave news, I'm afraid. A few hours ago, I received intelligence that Orochimaru is on the move again. However, this time his target is not any particular village. I've learned that he plans to try and recruit Tsunade, most likely for her medical skills. Given how he operates, it is doubtful that Jiraiya and Naruto will be able to stop him on their own." Lord Hokage explained.

"And you want me to go help them?" Shiro asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Exactly. Normally I would be sending someone like Kakashi, but as you may know, he is currently out of commission after a run-in with a man named Itachi Uchiha. You are the only realistic alternative, given that you have actually faced Orochimaru in battle." Lord Hokage replied.

"Okay, when do you want me to leave?" Shiro asked.

"As soon as possible. Jiraiya and Naruto already have a two day head-start, so you'll need to move fast to catch up." Lord Hokage said.

"Right, leave it to me."

* * *

><p>It was well after darkness had fallen, when Shiro left the Village Hidden in the Leaves on his latest mission. Given the mission's importance, combined with the fact that Shiro had a lot of ground to make up, the Third Hokage had insisted that Shiro leave at night. This was to avoid running into any other ninja, who might question Shiro about where he was heading off to. In the event that anyone did stop him, Shiro had been given a scroll to show them, which stated that he was on a very important mission at the Hokage's direct request, and that he was not to divulge the details of his mission to anyone. As it turned out however, the precautions proved to have been unnecessary, as Shiro was able to leave the village without running into anyone, not even one of the local night-time animals. Despite the fact that it was pitch black outside the village, with the absence of any source of illumination, Shiro was able to make out the various trees and other such obstacles as he raced away from the village. Even from an early age Shiro had always had exceptional vision, to the point where he could see well enough to navigate at night without too much difficulty. Although he had asked his parents time and again about the subject, they either brushed it off or changed the subject, leaving Shiro none the wiser. In the end, realising that he was never going to get an answer, Shiro decided to settle with not knowing why his eyes were so keen. In any case he was just happy to be able to see so well, especially since it meant that he was able to track a target even in total darkness with relative ease.<p>

After a couple of hours Shiro had left the village far behind him, ending up next to a small river which flowed straight through the small forest he was currently in. Deciding that this was as good a place as any to stop, Shiro went about setting up camp for the night. Taking out a small scroll, Shiro unrolled it on the ground. With a few hand signs, he summoned a black sleeping bag from within the scroll, laying it down on the ground. Although a tent would've been more comfortable, Shiro always slept outside, as it meant he could react faster if someone was enough of an idiot to attack him at night. Next Shiro performed a quick Summoning Jutsu, this time bringing out the Spartan again. The Spartan's green camouflage meant it blended into the background perfectly, making it the perfect Gundam to keep watch. Leaving the Spartan to keep a lookout, Shiro removed the Grass Long Sword from his back, then took off his flak jacket, greaves and forearm armour, before sliding himself into his sleeping bag. Within minutes he was fast asleep, as the Spartan constantly scanned the area, always ready to defend its master from harm.

* * *

><p><em>Shiro was suddenly woken from his sleep, as screams from the rest of the Yamamoto clan's village pierced the night. Startled, Shiro leapt out of bed and ran outside to see what was going on. Once outside he was horrified to see that much of the village was in flames, the screams of clan members ringing out in the distance. Before Shiro could do anything, his parents grabbed him and rushed back inside the house.<em>

"_Mother! Father! What's happening?" Shiro asked, terrified by what he had seen._

"_No time to talk, Shiro! We need to hurry!" his father replied. His parents pulled him through the house, arriving at the fairly large living room. Before Shiro could protest, his father opened a hidden compartment in the wall and pushed him inside._

"_Father...?" Shiro asked._

"_Shiro, whatever happens, you must stay here!" his father told him, before closing the compartment, sealing the frightened Shiro in total darkness. _

"_Father!" Shiro cried out, but his cry went unheard. Shiro sat there, shivering in fear as the seconds ticked by. Suddenly, he heard the distinct sound of a door being broken down, followed by a cry of pain, a cry which Shiro recognised as his mother's. Seconds later, Shiro's eyes widened even more, as he heard his father cry out as well. Shiro thought he heard some faint muttering, but couldn't make out what was being said. And then silence. Tentatively, Shiro eased the small door open, but froze when he saw what had happened. His mother and father lay on the floor beside each other in a slowly growing pool of blood. More blood was splattered on the walls, only making the scene even more horrifying to look at. Speechless, Shiro stumbled over to his parents' side, unable to comprehend what lay before him. Gently, he brushed his hand against his mother's cold face, staring at her lifeless eyes._

"_M-Mother? F-Father?" Shiro gasped, tears streaming down his face. His heart felt like it was caught in his throat, making even those few words difficult to utter. Shiro clutched his head between his hands with a tortured wail, as he knelt in the growing pool of his parent's blood._

* * *

><p>Shiro shot up with a scream, clutching his hand to his chest in an attempt to still his rapidly beating heart. As he calmed down, Shiro realised his body was covered in a cold sweat, and that the sun was just starting to peak over the horizon.<p>

"_That nightmare again? But why now?"_ Shiro wondered. He hadn't had the nightmare about his parents' deaths for a long time, so why was it coming back all of a sudden? Shiro looked up as the Spartan came over, looking at its master closely.

"I'm alright, don't worry." Shiro told it. The Spartan nodded, before poofing away. Shiro smiled slightly. As the Gundams each possessed a limited consciousness, they were in fact able to feel some emotions, such as concern for those other than themselves. But the Spartan had always been special in that respect. One of the earliest Gundams ever crafted by the Yamamoto clan, the Spartan frequently displayed a level of concern for Shiro that bordered on human, which inevitably resulted in it becoming the ninja's most trusted partner in battle. Despite its lack of any amazing weapons, the Spartan had proved time and again throughout its history to be one of the most powerful of the Gundams. Shiro shook his head to clear his thoughts, then quickly resealed the sleeping bag inside the scroll, before heading off again, still trying to catch up to Naruto and Jiraiya, hopefully before Orochimaru did.

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><p><strong>Well, what do you think? Do please review, it's how I'm able to improve both the story and my writing in general! Also, I find there's nothing more satisfying for a writer than reading positive reviews on a story! Anzac-A1, out!<strong>


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